1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to information processing method and apparatus for converting input image information to a text by a character recognizing function such as an OCR or the like.
The invention also relates to information processing method and apparatus which can form a search data base from a text obtained by converting input image information by a character recognizing function such as an OCR or the like and which can search desired data.
2. Related Background Art
Hitherto, when an input image is recognized by an OCR or the like and is converted to a text, with respect to an input character in which only a candidate character of a low similarity was obtained, as a countermeasure for an erroneous recognition, a fact that the similarity is low is notified to the operator and he judges that whether the candidate word is correct or wrong. When it is wrong, the operator is urged to manually correct the wrong character and input a correct character.
According to such a method, however, the operator must not only input an image to be converted to a text but also perform the correcting operation, so that there is a drawback such that the operator feels a burden.
There is also a method whereby not only a result of a character recognition is outputted but also a candidate character obtained by the character recognition is compared with a word dictionary or a knowledge base, thereby correcting an erroneously recognized character without a help of the operator.
According to the above methods, however, there are drawbacks such that the word dictionary or knowledge base has to be held in a memory for the correcting process and, further, such a correcting process using them is complicated and takes a long time and becomes a burden on the apparatus.